RFID Applications for Construction

of Transportation Projects

Edward Jaselskis
San Diego July 7, 2006
 Outline
RFID operating in a Fully Integrated and
Automated Project Process (FIAPP)
Asset Tracking
– Bulk and Engineered Materials
– Tools
Quality Control—Concrete cylinders
Operations Applications--industrial
RFID for Transportation Infrastructure
Applications
Conclusion
 RFID in a Fully Integrated
And Automated Project Process

Supplier Construction Facility Mgmt

Manufacturing Material Mgmt
and Product Personnel Mgmt Asset Mgmt
Tracking Tool Control
Quality Control
Safety
 FIAPP Example

Manufacturer/ Construction Owner

Vendor
RFID Tag
Receiving Asset Management
Tracking in storage Capital Equipment
area Program Database
Motor Attributes Maintenance prior
ID Number
Serial Number
to installation
Manufacturer’
Manufacturer’s Date
Unit Cost Installation
Windings
RPM
Preventative Maintenance (e.g.,
change oil, lubrication, schedules)
 Material Tracking Bulk and
Engineered Items: Passive RFID
Pipe Supports/hangers received using RFID on two
Bechtel projects (Red Hills and Exxon Baytown)
using passive RFID tags

CII Report 151-1: RFID Applications for the Construction

Industry
Manufacturing Process
(at Piping Technology & Products)
Materials Receiving: Redhills
Power Plant
Materials Receiving: Baytown Pilot

RFID TAG
 Pilot Results
RFID Strengths
– Time savings (one instead of two people and quicker
data entry)
– Tags reuseable
– Workers receiving materials on site liked technology
– “Flag” written to tag indicated received item
RFID Limitations
– Beneficial to have visual identification on tag
– Metal interferes with reader
Material Tracking Engineered Items:
Active RFID

ISARC 2004 (SA-0143) Song, Caldas, Ergen, Haas, and Akinci

Current Identification of Pipe Spools

Identification using metal tags is:

• Time-consuming, error-prone
• Pipe spools get misplaced
 RFID Equipment Used
RFID Tags Reader Antenna

Cable to 4 antennas Ethernet cable

to laptop computer
Operating Max. Read Range Memory Unit Cost
Frequency
i-D tag 915 MHz 20 ft (6 m) 64 Byte US $ 29
i-Q tag 915 MHz 300 ft (100 m) 32 KB US $ 59
i-Port III 915 MHz 20 ft w/ i-D, 300 ft US $ 1,200
reader w/ i-Q
Antenna US $ 100
Pipe Spools on Flatbed Trailer
Shipment of 83 pipe
spools
attached with RFID tags
 Truck Passing thru Portal
10 ft

14 ft Antenna

Reader on/off
6 ft

Cable to 4 antennas
14 ft
 Field Trials – Overview
Completed 4 days of testing, made 70 truck passes
Each pass involved different test parameters;
– Number & type of tags attached
– Number of active antennas Static in a test bed
– Tag positions relative to antennas
Dynamic across trips
– Reader on/off timing
– Traveling speed
Test Bed# No. & Type of No. of Antennas No. of Passes
Tags
1 83 i-Q tags 4 12
2 50 i-D tags 4 20
3 56 i-Q tags 4 or 2 38
Total 70
 Data Summary

Test No. & Type No. of Mean Median Read

Bed# of Tags Passes Read Rate Rate
1 83 i-Q tags 12 98.1 % 98.8 %
2 50 i-D tags 20 96.4 % 98.0 %
3 56 i-Q tags 38 96.0 % 100.0 %
 Conclusions
Current active RFID technology could
automatically identify 50 pipe spools accurately
and precisely as they are shipped and received
on a flatbed trailer
No. of antennas & traveling speed are critical to
achieving 100% reading consistently
Deploying RFID systems at major portals
enables one to automate tracking pipe spools
through the supply chain
RFID for Precast Concrete Members
Ruentex Corporation
 Tool Tracking RFID Application
Active RFID tags
attached to
construction tools
and equipment
Assure that workers
have the tools needed
to do the job

Courtesy of Dr. Paul Goodrum, University of Kentucky

Identec’s Active Tag System
 Project Test Beds
Tools Sent to Four Sites
– New University of Kentucky
Medical Facility
– Renovation of Community
Action Council Building
– Monoplast Manufacturing
Plant
– General Cable Plant
 University of Kentucky Medical
Facility
10.5 m 9 7.5 6 4.5 3 1.5 Metal 1.5 3 4.5 6 7.5 9 10.5 m
Gangbox

Edge of Slab
Reliable Sporadic No Detection
Detection Zone Detection Zone Zone

Observed Reliable Observed Sporadic Observed No

Detection Point Detection Point Detection Point
 Pilot Project Results

All Tags Survived ☺

None Impacted Tool Performance
All Provided Usable Read Range for Tool
Tracking
» Over 5’ - 10’
Did observe decrease in read range with drop
in ambient air temperature
 Tool Tracking in Gangbox
Julian Kang, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
Todd Sutton, Business Unit Manager, Zachry Construction Corporation

Test at the Zachry Construction’s tool center

in San Antonio, Texas (March 2005)
– Gangbox Reliability Test
– Comparison Test between Barcode and RFID
Portal
Field Test: RFID Products Selected

Active Tag R3 Controller

eLink Receiver SRA Exciter Antenna

eXI Wireless in Richmond, British Columbia

Field Test: Tools Employed
Gangbox Test: Configuration

RFID signal monitoring application

eLink Receiver
 Gangbox Test: Result

Lid Opened Lid Closed

Total number of tools (out

of 210 tools) successfully 206 / 210 210 / 210
identified in the gangbox
 Conclusion

RFID tags were reliably identified in the

gangbox regardless of metal interference and
tag congestion
RFID based tool check-in and check-out
process took less time than Barcode based
process
Construction Metrology & Automation Group
NIST/BFRL CONSiAT Program
CII FIATECH Consortium
 Comp-TRAK Project
OBJECTIVE:

Provide the technical infrastructure necessary

to permit real-time identification and position
tracking of components on a construction site
using RFID and Barcodes
Prototype Comp-TRAK System

Scan RFID tag

or bar code label
to acquire
unique part ID
134 KHz tag
Link to project
database
RFID and Barcode: AUTO-
IDENTIFICATION
 RFID for Quality Control
Concrete Testing

資料
化 作業 庫
E

eMbedded Visual Basic 3.0

Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Sync

Courtesy of National Taipei Technology University

Operator Applications
ExxonMobil Corporation,
Torrance, CA
– Tracking Pressure Relief Valves
during a Plant Maintenance
Turnaround
Operator Rounds and Mechanical
Integrity Inspections in Process
Plants
– Tracking Critical Assets with
RFID Technology
Transportation Infrastructure
Construction Applications
Tracking modularized bridge components
Tracking materials being hauled on (and off)
site (e.g., concrete and soil)
Labeling
– Concrete cylinders
– Soil samples
Work zone access control for personnel and
vehicles
 RFID Batch Ticket
Home Office (Server) PCC Lab Batch Plant
7

2
6 1
4

Construction Site

RFID Tag
Field Test Results (Slump and 3
Air Entrainment)
5

RFID Tag
 Conclusion
RFID is a proven technology that can benefit
construction of transportation infrastructure projects
Question: Who will pay for developing these
applications?